1. Field of the Invention
The inventors have invented a concept for air-controlled bedding that creates an ideal sleeping environment with appropriate temperature and humidity levels by blowing warm air or cool air into the bedding. The present invention relates to a warm-air blower for use in such air-controlled bedding.
2. Prior Art
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2616857 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H7-171037) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-154669 (1997), the inventors have developed a concept for controlling the temperature and humidity of the sleeping environment to an appropriate level by blowing warm air or cool air between the quilt and the futon or air-controlled mat. However, a warm-air blower for achieving such a concept tends to be noisy and can cause the sleeper to feel thirsty.
The object of the present invention is to realize a warm-air blower for use with air-controlled bedding that operates more quietly and solves the problem of warm air causing thirst, thereby realizing a more comfortable sleeping environment.
In order to achieve the above objective, the air blower unit 1 has an air intake 2 near the left- or right-hand side of its front surface and optionally another air intake 2 at a corresponding position on its rear surface, and the air taken in from these air intakes 2, 2 is led through the interior of the air blower unit 1 to a fan 3 which is positioned at a distance from said air intake(s) 2, or more specifically, at the opposite end of the air blower unit from the air intake(s), and then blown out of the air blower from air outlets 5, 6 after passing through a heater chamber 4 within an air-blow duct 15.
The air outlets 5, 6 are arranged one above the other, of which the upper outlet, i.e., air outlet 5 supplies warm air to the quilt 16 from the foot side. The lower outlet, i.e., air outlet 6, supplies warm air to the futon, which is air controlled, or to the air-controlled mat 18 from the foot side. One of the air outlets 5, 6 is equipped with a shutter 7 or 8. Optionally, both of the air outlets 5, 6 are equipped with shutters 7, 8. By providing these shutters 7, 8, it becomes possible to change the ratio of the volume of warm air supplied to the quilt and the volume of warm air supplied to the futon or air-controlled mat 18 to achieve an even more comfortable sleeping environment.
When using the warm-air blower of the present invention with a futon in a Japanese-style room, the air blower unit 1 can be simply placed near the foot side of the futon. When using it with a bed, however, it is safer to fix the blower unit onto the foot side of the bed frame 9 to prevent the possibility of the air blower unit 1 falling off the bed. For use with a care bed or a hospital bed with a mechanism for raising the bed surface, a mount 10 is established in such a way as to extend the foot side of the bed-raising mechanism 11, and the air blower unit 1 is fixed to said mount 10. In this way, the air blower unit 1 moves in accordance with the elevation of the bed, so the air outlets 5, 6 of the air blower unit 1 do not become disconnected from airways 17, 19 of the quilt and futon.